Albus Severus Potter and the Snakeskin of Incendio
by flame7926
Summary: Albus Severus Potter is off to Hogwarts. Sorted away from the rest of his family, he has to learn to survive in a wholly different environment. He, his cousin Rose, and their new friend/rival Scorpius Malfoy attempt to emulate their parents' time at the Wizarding school. Soon, they stumble upon exactly the type of thing they were hoping to find: a conspiracy within Slytherin.
1. Family Trees

**Weasley Family**

Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour

Victoire - Seventh Year

Dominique - Second Year

Louis - one year from now

Percy Weasley and Audrey

Molly - Fourth Year

Lucy - three years from now

George Weasley and Angelina Johnson

Roxanne - Second Year

Fred II - Second Year

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger

Rose - First Year

Hugo - two years from now

Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley

James - Second Year

Albus - First Year

Lily - two years from now

**Lupin/Tonks Family**

Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks

Teddy - graduated

**Scamander/Lovegood Family**

Rolf Scamander and Luna Lovegood

Lorcan - Fifth Year

Lysander - Fifth Year

**Malfoy Family**

Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass

Scorpius - First Year


	2. Time with Cousins

AN: Hello all, I'm flame7926, and this is my first piece of fanfiction.

Standard disclaimer applies to every chapter.

I have been working and planning this for a while, and now I'm finally ready to publish the first chapter. I have no beta reader, so if you are interested, PM me. Because of that, the level of polish may be slightly worse than it otherwise would be. I can't promise no awkward sentences, though I think I manage to keep those to a minimum. I can promise a very low level of spelling and grammar errors. I can't promise that the story will be brief or otherwise limited in length. I don't write short stuff. I have a very hard time limiting how long things, mainly conversations, stretch on for, but hopefully they won't be boring. Please review, whether you just have a quick "I like x" or "I dislike x", a word of encouragement, a short sentence or phrase to indicate you read it, or a lengthy critique that completely tears apart the story. Reviews are the only way I know that a person has read the chapter and not just viewed it. So please review. I'd never hold hostage any content for not getting a certain number of reviews, since that is probably the biggest dick move imaginable, but I still strongly encourage anyone who reads this to review, even if you have nothing important to say.

I plan to have this story be the first in a series of seven books, one for each of Albus' years at Hogwarts. There will be romance later, but none involving the main characters in this book. At least there won't be any romance actually happening; there may be mentions of crushes and such. I'll try to update the story at least one every two weeks, but that may lapse while I get the third chapter worked out.

Thanks for reading, and now without further ado, on to the story.

* * *

Albus sat on his bed in the Burrow, stomach full of butterflies. Tomorrow approached with an alarming rapidity; as without a doubt, it would be the most important day in his life. He had never been enthusiastic about attending Hogwarts, at least compared to James. While James basked in the cameras and autograph requests, Albus and the majority of his remaining cousins avoided them like the plague. Much of this generation of Weasleys seemed to have inherited their genes from somewhere besides the members of the previous one, since all of the elders responded well to publicity.

Hogwarts would be another opportunity for everyone to surround him with unwanted attention. He'd heard from Teddy and Victoire that James already carved out a fairly sizeable clique for himself, but that didn't preclude the possibility of a fair amount of stragglers and new students wanting a Potter of their own.

Out his window, the sun sent its last golden rays over the forest and field, and into his room. James and Lily were flying brooms, tossing a Quaffle around, both of their red hair shining in the sunset.

James teased him all day about his reticence and shyness in public, telling him that it was sure he would go to Hufflepuff, the house of the meek. Albus had gotten so fed up that he'd gotten Fred and Lily to pull a prank on James. Fred, even though he was closest to James both in age and attitude, was willing to go against him occasionally. After all, what was a friendship without a good prank? Lily just had a disturbingly steady desire to cause pain and discomfort. Albus knew he would owe them at some point, but the debt to Lily was the much more worrying one. The number one rule of the Potter-Weasley cousins was "never owe Lily anything." All the adults thought she was an angel, but she also had the most fun, and those two things couldn't apply to the same person without some serious blackmail and manipulation.

The problem troubling Al now, though, was the reaction of James to the prank. Instead of letting up with the teasing and going after Fred or Lily, or at least pretending to be hurt for parental pity, James did a sarcastic slow clap while still covered in the fish guts, the scraps from the dinner preparation.

He sneered, "So you aren't a Hufflepuff after all, eh? Well then, I guess it better be Slytherin!"

Their mom Ginny quickly berated him, but from her expression Albus could tell she was barely suppressing laughter. He'd been perched at the top of the stairs to watch James' humiliation, but after hearing the start of the rant by his mom he ran up the four floors to his room, slammed the door, and crumpled to the bed. There weren't any tears, just a new fear that tore through him, leaving an empty, green, Slytherin-y shell.

Albus wasn't afraid of Slytherins, per se, but they were the bad guys in all of the war stories. Voldemort was a Slytherin, the Malfoys were Slytherins, and it seemed like all the Death Eaters were too. Whenever any of these people came up in conversation, the adults, Hermione and Harry in particular, were quick to point out how not all Slytherins were bad. The problem with this argument was that there weren't really any counter-examples. Snape and Slughorn at least fought for the right side in the war, but neither of them were the type of people Albus would want to live with. One was a complete jerk to his parents when they were in school, and the other "collected" people, which was just creepy. Slughorn had taken a leave of absence after the battle of Hogwarts, but supposedly was coming back this year to get some of the next generation.

Even without the facts to back it up, everyone persisted in beating into the kids' heads how not-evil some of the Slytherins were. The thing was, if they hadn't been so insistent about this, he wouldn't be afraid of Slytherins at all. If someone had to say not all of them are bad, that means most of them are.

He knew, as they were constantly reminded by Hermione, to judge by the individual, not the association. The Slytherins also wouldn't bully him unprovoked since he was Harry Potter's son. With the constant assurances, he didn't think his family would like him any less if he was sorted into that House. They already had James and all the Weasleys so far in Gryffindor, so it wouldn't be too much of a disappointment if he didn't go there.

The issue was, people thought his dad was an incredibly powerful wizard, even though Albus had never seen him do anything too extraordinary. If he was sorted into Slytherin, people would combine the power that was supposedly in him with the reputation of Slytherin and think he was practically the next Dark Lord.

Albus usually didn't care what people thought of him. Since he ignored the pleas for photos and quotes by reporters (not that his parents would willingly let him accept them), the newspapers said he was a Squib. Publishing a negative article about the Potters invariably led to the writer in question getting fired, but that didn't stop the Daily Prophet. They thought that the gossip-mongers' purchases were worth the early retirement package paid out to the reporter. The paper's attention felt unfair, but it didn't bother him that much, since it didn't result in an increase in the amount of pointing and whispering people did.

If he was in Slytherin, everyone would be afraid of him, which was much worse than being revered. They would shy away from him in the corridors, maybe even view him as a rival. And they wouldn't only do it behind his back, it would be out there in the open. Given that, he'd only have allies and enemies, no friends. Judging from past rivalry and enmity with James, the situation wouldn't turn out well for him. He didn't want to have that type of constant pressure. No matter how nicely he acted, they'd view what he did with suspicion.

In conclusion, Slytherin would be awful. James probably didn't have any great skill at predicting, but that didn't stop the fear from eating away at Albus. He lay on the bed, stomach down, hands bent up so his fists were underneath his chest. He dwelled sullenly as Lily and James laughed and tossed the Quaffle outside in the dying light, flitting in and out of his line of sight. Eventually they descended, probably to get ready for dinner.

Albus thought about getting up and going downstairs, but it seemed like too much effort. If they wanted him to eat they'd have to come get him.

He waited, stomach grumbling. They must have decided that letting him stew and worry on his own was more important than his presence at the last dinner before Hogwarts. Well his absence would serve them right for taking James' side and laughing.

His determination wavered as the minutes passed and his hunger grew. Just as he was about to stand up, he felt a hand on his back.

It was Rose, of course. The second he recognized the existence of a presence, he knew the identity. He didn't move as she lay down beside him, causing the bed to sink slightly towards her. She moved the hand on his back across his body, and pulled him tight against her chest. He aided the process, scooting himself closer to her, until their bodies were flesh against each other. He'd get so much grief from everyone if they saw this.

She whispered gently in his ear, which tickled and caused shivers to race through him.

"I know you're worried, but it's going to be okay. No matter what house you're in, we'll still love you the same."

He giggled at that, a little bit of the depression disappearing. He already knew his family, especially her, wouldn't care where he went. At least, even if they were more suspicious or distrustful of him, they wouldn't show it. If he was oblivious to what they thought it barely impacted him.

Not turning around, he said, "I know that, Rose. I don't care where you go either. It's not that…" He paused, unsure how to proceed.

"It's what Slytherin _is_," she finished for him.

"Yeah," he agreed lamely.

There was a moment of silence, during which he tried to absorb comfort from her. His feet rested above hers, though that was only due to the bend of their bodies; normally he was a few inches taller than her. Her head pressed against his back, which also helped account for the positioning of their feet.

After a few more seconds, she told him, "We should probably go downstairs now. They were starting to sit down when I came up here."

He obliged, and lifted her arm from where it was draped over him. They stood up at the same moment, and he smiled gratefully at her.

She smiled back at him, and held out her hand. This was a game they played. Offering hands, kissing knuckles, gracefully leading one another around the house, flouncing about as if they were kings and queens. Of course, the Potters were treated like royalty within the Wizarding world, but that was more modern celebrity and stardom than true nobility.

He accepted the proffered hand with what he hoped was aplomb, and together they walked downstairs and into the dining room. He pulled her chair out for her, then went to his own seat. As soon as he sat down, their charade ended.

When they'd entered the room they'd been in a bubble, impervious to the noise and chaos that now surrounded them. Neither of them could yet do the type of magic to make it actually possible, but they could pretend. She gave him one last glance from across the table, their eyes meeting, then they both launched themselves into the fray.

Molly, his grandmother, not the cousin, hadn't served the food yet, so at least the talk was comprehensible. When Weasleys were eating, all bets were off. Almost exclusively, they'd inherited their parents' voracious appetites, which made dinner table conversation disgusting if not impossible. They could civilize themselves when the Minister or another important person came over for a meal, but when they were alone, all hell broke loose. Albus didn't get why they thought that having no one to impress meant manners could go out the window.

He hadn't looked at his neighbors when sitting down, but now he saw Lucy sitting primly on his left, while Fred's dirty blond hair faced him on the immediate right. Granddad Arthur sat at the head of the table, all the way down in Lucy's direction, with the rest of the adults near him. Albus presumed his grandma was still in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the food.

The adults were mostly silent, which contrasted greatly with the emphatic assault on his eardrums coming from the other direction. Lily was next to Rose, directly across from him, and gave him a very deliberate wink when she caught his eye. He averted his gaze quickly, not want to even guess what type of favor she would call in. Next to Lily sat Hugo, her partner in crime. He had a fork, which he was attempting to balance on top of his knife. Teddy offered to use magic to help, but Hugo steadfastly refused, and the silverware tower continued to tumble to the floor, over and over.

Victoire was next to Teddy, watching him interact with Hugo. She'd never had as high a tolerance for the younger children, and a pure admiration radiated from her as she stared at him. Well, maybe not _pure_ admiration: there was some desire present too. Albus had discovered them in the broom shed a few days ago: Victoire pinned up against the wall, Teddy's hands running all over her body, their mouths firmly meshed together. He'd backed out quickly, glad they at least still had their clothes on. He was clueless as to why they kept their relationship secret, but wasn't going to oust them. James and Fred had an itsy bitsy crush on Victoire, Veela that she was, and they'd "shoot the messenger," as it were.

Before he had a chance to take in the rest of the table, his grandmother entered, with the food held aloft by her wand. The hearty tomato meat sauce for the pasta created a wonderful aroma, doubly pleasing since it shut everyone up. James and Fred, formerly the largest cause of noise, silenced themselves immediately.

The food items flew to their allotted places, and Molly moved to stand by Arthur. He was staring obliviously down the table, and she had to tap him on the shoulder. He stood up with a start, bumping the table and rattling the dishes. His wife gave him a disapproving frown, and a humorous murmur reverberated up and down the table.

Once they were both standing at the head, she began speaking.

"We're glad everyone could make it this year—" Albus rolled his eyes; they'd met every year since Teddy went off to Hogwarts, "-and that we've all made it to see two more grandkids make it to Hogwarts. Congratulations, Rose and Albus."

She paused for applause, which dutifully came. Albus flushed from the attention, wishing he could turn invisible. It's not like they'd actually accomplished anything; maybe after becoming amazing at something he'd be more comfortable with congratulations.

After the clapping died down, Molly continued her speech. "Every year we try to be here for a week before the September starts, to catch up as a group, and it's nice for the kids to be able to spend time together. So here's to hoping for many more of these to come."

Everyone raised their glasses in a toast. All the people 'of age' levitated their glasses so they could touch glasses all the way down the long table, so Albus held his up and let them come to him. He did _clink_ Rose's across the table, deftly avoiding Lily's. Some things had special emotional attachment and he wasn't going to share it with just anyone. Rose was special.

When the toast concluded, people started reaching for food. The serving dishes self-replenished from the kitchen, but that didn't help him get food any quicker when his parents currently had the pasta and Uncle Ron had the sauce. Patience was difficult with the hunger gnawing at his stomach. Finally some breadsticks reached him, and he grabbed two, before Fred wrenched the bowl from his hands.

Albus sat, chomping greedily, waiting for the other food to reach him. The bread was still warm from the oven, while a light garlic-parmesan seasoning coated the top. The buttery bottom provided a contrast in texture if not in taste, and he alternated bites of the breadstick right side up and upside down.

The food appeared to be going counterclockwise around the circle, but the next dish was still three people away. He turned towards Fred and James in response to a tap on the shoulder.

"So, brother, you and Rose get up to any mischief upstairs?" James asked, mouth full of bread.

Albus glanced towards the person in question, and she met his gaze with a tilted head, questioning. He guessed she must not have heard what James said.

Fred guffawed at Albus' look towards Rose, spraying particles of food all over the table. Thankfully the majority missed Albus' plate. He yanked his dinner ware out of the potential line of fire and moved it towards Lucy. She glared up at him, as if a distasteful smell had had the audacity to be in her presence. He ignored the look.

James laughed along with Fred, but less boisterous, snider.

"I don't think she's going to bail you out of this one," he said. "What were you guys up to?"

"N-nothing," Albus stammered. "You were being a jerk earlier, and she was nice and came up there."

Fred appeared as if he was about to respond, but the food made its way to Lucy at the most opportune moment. He eyed the pasta like a lion does at gazelle, ready to pounce.

"Well, nice talk," Fred said. "Hope your lips aren't too sore to talk from all the kissing, but if they are, more for me. Now take what you want, and pass it along."

Albus looked to his left, where Lucy was struggling to hold the bowl aloft. The whole process would have been so much easier with magic. Oh well, that's why he was going to Hogwarts.

He used the tongs to grab some pasta, and plopped it down on his plate. The second he was finished Fred grabbed the bowl, James leaning over him in a mini-wrestling attempt. Albus didn't even want to see how much they took.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw concern on Rose's face, her piercing gaze turned toward him. He couldn't bear to meet those eyes. Too embarrassed at the moment. James and Fred had it wrong. Rose and he weren't like that. The boys knew it too, but that didn't stop them from endlessly teasing and insinuating. Thankfully, most of the time the rest of the family didn't join in. _Most of the time._

He ate until he was stuffed. No matter how good the food at Hogwarts would be, he doubted it could compare to his grandmother's.

After a few minutes, Albus began to shift uncomfortably in his seat, eager to leave the table. He didn't have too many friends among his cousins. Not that they weren't all friends, but Rose was the only one he consistently enjoyed talking to. So he sat there, watching her talk to Lily, beautiful smile gracing her lips every few sentences. Though entranced, he couldn't help but notice Fred and James' snickers. He turned towards them, almost pissed off enough to say something about them, their love of brooms, and their sexual orientation, but then again, who was he to judge?

A bemused smile broke through; sometimes he cracked himself up. The two boys turned back the other direction after seeing Albus not react verbally to them.

Albus heard his name yelled from down the table the other direction, and he turned that way, glad for a distraction from his idiot brother.

"Excited for Hogwarts, are you?" George called, more loudly than necessary.

'Probably a bit drunk already,' Albus thought to himself. Hogwarts always brought melancholy for some of the elder members of the Weasley family, as they remembered those they attended Hogwarts with that were no longer living.

Fred the younger's head twisted in his seat when he heard his father's voice, concern etched on his face. It looked like he was going to say something, but Roxanne, his twin, called his name from the other side of James, and he shut his mouth. It was probably for the better, anyway.

Albus almost forgot the question, thinking about them, but it came back to him.

"Umm, a little," he replied to Uncle George, silently praying the conversation would be over quickly.

George chuckled boisterously. "Well make sure you don't get in as much trouble as James, or you won't be allowed to come to my store next time."

"Okay." Albus gave a smile, though it probably came out more like a grimace, and turned away.

Rose looked at him sympathetically from across the table, and his smile became a little more genuine. Hogwarts would be fine, as long as she was there.

* * *

The meat sauce had smothered both the pasta on his plate and his anxiety, and with dinner over he felt content and full. At Hermione's insistence, the adults would take turns doing dishes the Muggle way, a set of five of them or so. Given the rarity of complaints though, Albus suspected that they used it as social time away from the kids.

Everyone not on dish duty made their way to the living room, and the adults settled down on the couches and chairs, drinks in hand. They began their conversations, and everyone younger than Victoire milled around awkwardly for a few minutes, or sat on their parent's laps.

Before the boredom sunk in too much, James, as the self-appointed leader of their group, mentioned something about a game upstairs, and they were off like a flash. They all raced up the winding staircase, up the tower that was the Burrow. Even Lucy and Molly came, though less enthusiastically than the rest.

As soon as they were seated in the room James and Fred shared, James began talking.

"So, Albus and Rose are joining us at Hogwarts tomorrow," he said self-importantly, "and we need to prepare them for some of its more arcane and startling elements."

He gestured to the bed across from the one he was sitting on, and Rose and Albus obediently sat on it.

"Now, anyone who's already attended Hogwarts, come sit over here. Everyone else, on the floor."

Fred, Molly, Roxanne, and Dominique joined him on the bed he'd claimed, while Hugo, Lucy, Louis, and Lily sat down off to the side on the floor.

"So, anyone have anything to say to the newbies about to embark on their first journey into the world of magic?" James asked, looking at his experienced peers.

Molly rolled her eyes. "Oh honestly James, it's not like they haven't been raised by the most famous witches and wizards, seen magic preformed daily, and gone to Diagon Alley and the Ministry often enough. I doubt you're going to tell anything they don't already know."

James looked affronted at her condescension, but everyone was used to it by now. Not that Albus didn't think this whole affair of James' was all a bit much too.

"Oh, I'm sure there's some mysteries to Hogwarts they should be enlightened about." Fred winked at James, who stopped glaring at Molly, shrugged, and regained some of his former enthusiasm.

"Like that Gryffindor house is the best?" he tried, only to receive a snort of derision from Molly and Lucy, the elder of who was in Ravenclaw.

"Mum and dad have already done that enough!" Lily broke in.

Everyone turned to glare at her for interrupting, but she ignored them, staring right back. However annoying she was, sneaky, spoiled, machinating too, Albus had to admire her gall at putting herself in the path of Weasley fury.

Thankfully, before anyone could do anything more regarding the impudent child on the floor, Roxanne whispered to Dominique and they both burst out giggling loudly. Now, everyone's gaze fell on them.

"What is it?" James asked pointedly, annoyed at yet another interruption.

"Well, we thought of something to tell them," Roxanne said, before falling to yet another fit of laughter.

Albus' patience was being tested, but then again, so was everyone else's.

After a few seconds, the girls calmed down enough to stutter out, "They need to know why there're so many broom and storage cupboards in the school."

James and Fred immediately started laughing as well, while Molly huffed and stormed out of the room.

James called after her, "You just don't want them to know because you've been busy in them."

She flipped him off as the door slammed behind her.

Fred punched James lightly on the arm, then turned back to Rose and Albus.

"Hogwarts, on some level, likes to have fun with its students. And it wants them to enjoy their years there. So it made a bunch of closets in the hallways for hooking up between different houses."

Albus snorted. Maybe Hogwarts was sentient on some level, but it wasn't going to encourage kids to do that.

Rose looked affronted at the mere suggestion that such rule breaking would be enabled by the castle itself.

"Though Hogwarts changes its staircases, the hallways and visible areas don't change," she said confidently. "The arrangement of places shift, but not the places themselves. And I'm sure that there are no more spaces than what is necessary to the running of the castle. Our parents, my mom, would have noticed something so strange."

Bemused, Louis glanced at Lily, then said, "I don't know if you've noticed from the stories our parents tell, but during their years at Hogwarts, they were naïve. The only time Hermione had a boyfriend was-"

"Gender neutral terms, please," Rose broke in.

"Fine," Louis drawled, "significant other. The only time she had one was in fourth year, and Krum seems like he wouldn't be one to push things. Ron with Lavender wouldn't notice anything other than it being convenient. So Rose, they aren't the best sample."

Before Rose could retort, James started talking again.

"No matter whether they were created intentionally by the castle or not, the fact is, there's a lot of them. And,-" he paused to lean in conspiratorially, "—us boys know a spell to cast to check if they're occupied or not."

"You do not!" Roxanne shrieked indignantly. "It doesn't exist."

"Oh yes it does! It's passed down on the first night from the prefects."

"That's unfair."

"What, Roxy, are you planning on using them?" Fred teased, poking his twin sister.

"No, we're not," Dominique cut in, tugging Roxanne out of the room before she made the fight more physical.

James stuck his tongue out at the door, then turned back to Rose and Albus. "You two better not be getting too busy in them either."

Albus blushed, and his mind froze, unable to think of a retort.

Thankfully, Rose glared at James, saying, "It's not like you've ever kissed a girl, James, so don't pretend you have so much experience with the subject."

He held his hands up, defensive. "Just saying."

"C'mon Albus." Rose grabbed his hand, and started to lead him out the door. Fred and James both wolf-whistled, but Albus ignored them better when his hand was in hers.

Hugo, who'd been throughout the whole thing, stared up at them with his bright, innocent blue eyes. He probably hadn't understood most of what was being talked about, unlike Lily and Louis, though they were all almost the same age. Nine or so.

He asked, voice wavering, "You won't do that, will you, Rose?"

She paused at the doorway, then released Albus' hand and kneeled down next to Hugo.

"I won't do anything that I'll regret, that…" she fished around for the right example, "that Percy wouldn't do. Okay?"

"Yeah. Cause Percy's a-sponsible," he said, looking proud of himself for saying such a big word.

"Yeah. He is," Rose said, winking at Albus. Hugo probably hadn't been told the story of Penelope Clearwater yet.

They all thought Hugo might be the tiniest bit _really stupid_, but no one had the heart to mention something out loud.

They exited the room together, then went back downstairs to the living room. Albus started reading, but glanced down at his watch occasionally. He wanted to get enough sleep so he could be fully awake all day tomorrow, his first day at Hogwarts.


	3. A Gift and a Farewell

AN: This chapter received a medium sized revision a few days before I posted the third chapter, so you might want to read or skim it again.

Some of this chapter was taken from the epilogue of _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_ by JK Rowling. I melded what she wrote in there with what I wanted to happen in mine. Hopefully it isn't noticeable. Thanks for reading.

* * *

Albus was woken suddenly by a hand shaking his shoulder. He rubbed his eyes as they were exposed to the morning twilight, then tossed the covers off in one quick motion.

Albus quickly threw shorts and pants on then joined his family downstairs in front of the fireplace.

"Ready, Albus?" his dad asked.

"Yeah," Albus replied.

"Then let's go."

Harry Potter turned, grabbed a handful of Floo powder, threw it in the fireplace, and spoke clearly:

"Potter residence!"

Albus' mom followed, then James, still looking half asleep.

Lily should have gone next, but after taking her handful of powder, she stepped back instead of initiating the Floo.

"You go to Hogwarts today," she said.

"Yes…"

"Well once you leave, it'll be much harder for me to call in my favor. I have to think of something before you leave. And pranking James wasn't even fun, so it'll be something big."

With the threat hanging in the air, Lily gave him an impish grin, then turned back toward the fireplace and activated the Floo, her starkly red hair the last thing visible before she disappeared.

Albus arrived home with little fuss; the fireplace was kept clean and unused for a reason. His parents gave him a strange glance, probably wondering why he and Lily had taken so long, but they didn't say anything.

When he made it upstairs, he paused once in his room, aware that this was the last time he'd be in it for three months. The walls were sparsely covered, a Hollyhead Harpies poster above his desk and a Gryffindor Quidditch team poster from his dad's school days the only objects of any size present. His trunk sat at the foot of his bed. The sight of it filled him with both hope and dread. Hogwarts was exciting, and he'd been anticipating this day his whole life, but the Sorting would be today too.

All his Hogwarts stuff was meticulously packed in the trunk, but a nervous twinge in his gut told him to check it again.

He opened it, and everything was there of course, but he still thought better safe than sorry.

As he latched it shut for the second time, his mom yelled up, "Time to go guys."

A door in the hall slammed open and shut, which would be Lily. James had nothing packed when they'd left three days ago to go to the Burrow, so he'd be trying to at least grab the necessities before someone rushed him out of the house.

Albus dragged his unwieldy trunk downstairs, wincing as it thumped on each step. He set it by the door, then joined his parents and Lily in the kitchen. His mom was leaning on the counter, foot tapping impatiently. When Albus entered, his dad rolled his eyes, glancing at Ginny's neurotic behavior.

Ginny smacked Harry on the shoulder, who at least had the decency to look ashamed, then turned to Albus.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, wondering why she thought he'd possibly be downstairs if he wasn't ready. Mothers and their redundant questions.

"Good," she said, then resumed glaring at the ceiling, lips pursed. James'd better get down here soon or start fearing for his life.

Albus glanced at his watch: 7:30. They needed to leave sometime in the next fifteen minutes to make the train, since they were driving instead of Apparating or using a Portkey or Floo. The practice stemmed from a mix of tradition and convenience.

"Come on Albus," his dad urged, standing up. "I need to give you something."

Albus followed his dad down the hall to the living room, then sat down on the couch next to him.

"You know I gave the Invisibility Cloak to James last year, right?" his dad asked.

Albus didn't know, but nodded anyway, not wanting to appear ignorant. The jealousy rose in him, and an irrational pressure behind his eyes told him to be wary of tears. Why should James get it? It was unfair. James as the eldest always got the best stuff.

"Well seeing all trouble he got into, I'm not sure that was the right choice," his dad said, laughing uncomfortably. "The point is, I thought you needed something too."

Albus' curiosity was piqued by this, the momentary sadness fading in an instant.

His dad reached into his pocket and pulled out a faded piece of parchment, folded into a small rectangle.

"The Marauder's Map?"

His dad nodded, a smile forming on his lips.

Thank you!" Albus exclaimed. "This is great!"

Albus didn't need to inject false excitement into his voice at the unveiling; if the map worked like it did in the stories, this would be just as great as the Cloak. He thought of sneaking out at night, knowing exactly where all the teachers and prefects were. The thought sent a jolt through him, a warning. Maybe he would fit in in Slytherin.

"I'm glad you like it," his dad said proudly. "I know I got a lot of use out of it. Just make sure you don't get caught. The teachers don't know about it."

Albus grinned. "I won't get caught, don't worry. You can trust me. Unlike that brother of mine…"

His dad beamed back at him, and said, "At least he hasn't been caught yet. Make sure he doesn't make too much of a mess of things this year."

"I'll try," Albus replied, still euphoric from the gift. It wouldn't be too hard to keep an eye on James, though stopping him would be another matter entirely.

"Speaking of James, where is he?" Harry asked, standing up.

They walked back to the kitchen together, Harry's arm thrown around Albus' shoulder. Albus was unable to prevent a smile from creeping onto his face, his lips turning up seemingly of their own accord. Lily eyed him with suspicion, but she was a problem for another time.

James finally made it downstairs at 7:45, looking harried. He managed to force the grimace off his face and hold back the complaint that was otherwise sure to issue forth as he saw Ginny's glare turned on him. She silently pointed to the front door, and everyone packed into the car.

Once they were all seated, Ginny turned to face the kids.

"Let's try to be a little more on time next time, alright?"

Her barely restrained fury threatened to burst out, and James only nodded, before sullenly looking out the window. Albus for his part shrunk down in his seat, or as much as he could being in the middle. James was the biggest, and Lily claimed she got car-sick, so Albus was stuck cramped between them.

* * *

After an hour, James seemed somewhat less grumpy and started playing around with his wand.

Suddenly anxious, Albus patted his jacket pocket to make sure he had his, and took it out to look at it. _Ten and three quarters inches, broad-leaf _Cottonwood_, supple yet firm, with a Manticore tail core, _Mrs. Kristensan had said. She'd taken over Ollivander's shop after he retired following Voldemort's downfall. She also didn't supply wands exclusively made of Dragon heartstring, Phoenix feather, and Unicorn hair. The general public had yet to reach a verdict over whether the larger variety of cores available had any impact on the quality of wands.

While Al was examining his wand, he saw James turn towards him out of the corner of his eye. A smirk emerged on James' face and Albus shivered involuntarily. That raised eyebrow, slight twist in his lips, and flared nostril always precipitated something awful.

Albus sighed, and tucked his wand away. If this got physical that was the most important thing to protect.

"So Albus, you bring some green sweaters?"

Albus' calmed slightly, glad that James was on the same tangent as before. At the same time, the nervousness about the Sorting returned with a furor.

"It's not like you have a bunch of red ones," he said snippily.

"But Slytherin is all preppy and stuff, don't you think they'd want you to match?"

"Wherever I go, I'll do what I want."

"Oh sure." James snorted. "Just like all those times you follow Rose or whoever else's around to direct you?"

"James, shut up," Albus finally blurted out, before he could stop himself.

"Testy, are we? I didn't know Slytherins had tempers, they're always so composed."

James was clearly enjoying himself, his grin growing bigger.

"You're my family," Albus said, trying to regain control of his emotions. "I don't have to put on a façade for you."

"Hah!" James almost shouted. "So you do admit you're like them."

Albus tried to look pityingly at James, but fear and anger probably morphed the gaze into somewhat of a snarl.

"That's the best you can come up with?" he asked.

"Na na na, Slytherin!" James stuck out his tongue at Albus, either unaware or uncaring that he was proving the point Albus had just made.

"You're a bastard, just shut up!" Albus rammed his shoulder into James, finally fed up with his brother's stupid, immature, inane antics.

James, as the larger of the two, pushed back, though the exertion showed on his face. He braced himself against his wall, and Albus turned his body away to try and better position his own body.

Though Albus pushed as hard as he could, he had no leverage since Lily was between him and the wall of the car. Albus got squished up against Lily, but James didn't stop shoving. Albus' face was buried in Lily's red hair, and he could smell the shampoo she used.

She'd been ignoring them and their squabble so far, but Albus knew to be afraid when they got in her personal space.

Lily now somehow got her hand up to Albus' ear, and pulled down hard. He yelped. It felt like someone had applied a red-hot poker to the side of his head.

Ginny spun around in the passenger seat and shrieked, "Can't you guys keep it together for an hour in the car? I had to drag you out of the house so you wouldn't miss the train, and now this. You can't manage to ever be on time for anything, and I have to hassle you even to be on time for things you like. The only reason we are doing this is for you and even then I have to nag you. You'd think I was raising Kneazle kittens from the amount of bother you are."

She turned back around and let out a deep sigh, and Harry laid his hand on hers. Albus and his siblings sat back in their own seats, chastened. They were relatively silent the rest of the car ride, which meant Albus had a lot of time to think about Slytherin, once again.

* * *

Albus squinted as the bright rays of the sun glinted off the glass windows of the train station. The large brick building loomed ahead, imposing yet familiar. Albus had been here many times before, wishing cousins and a sibling farewell. This time already had a different feel. He'd be getting on the train this time, not watching as others waved goodbye from its windows.

They entered the station as a group and loaded the two trunks and assorted accessories onto trolleys. Heavily laden, Albus strained to push his, while James tore around like a maniac. Fortunately, they made it to the platform without an accident or incident of any type. Albus had a sneaking suspicion that his dad used _Felix Felicis_ whenever James accompanied them out in public.

When they arrived at the entry to Platform 9 ¾, the brick wall stood firm; a gateway into the unknown. His dad and mom went through first, then brother, and now it was his turn. He'd never taken a trolley through before. The wheels rattled over the cement underfoot, shaking so much Albus had trouble keeping the cart from careening away from him. As he approached the barrier he slammed his eyes shut, as if it would lessen the pain of impact.

And then he was through. The Hogwarts Express lay dormant on the tracks, bright red and gleaming. Steam filled the air and obscured his vision. He hurried to catch up with his family. James had already disappeared, probably to claim a cabin with friends.

"Where are they?" Albus asked anxiously, peering at the figures weaving through the mist.

"I'm sure they're here somewhere," Harry reassured him.

They continued through the mist, passing all sorts of people in various get-ups, burdened by a variety of menageries. The air was at once filled with the squawking and chirps of animals and people, parroting the heartfelt well-wishes their parents had in turn passed onto them many years before.

"I think that's them," Ginny said suddenly.

Albus turned in the direction she was pointing, and saw a family of four emerge from the mist. His heart rose at the sight; Slytherin was his main fear, but he'd be able to survive anything as long as Rose was there.

Rose walked up to him and gave him a quick hug, while Hugo did the same to Lily. Sometimes it seemed like the younger siblings copied anything Albus and she did.

Together, they moved a little bit away from everyone else.

"I think I'm going to go for Ravenclaw," Rose said abruptly, surveying the crowd.

"What!" Albus gaped. "You've always been so excited about Gryffindor."

"I know, but I like learning, simply for the sake of learning. That's more Ravenclaw."

"But Houses are really more tradition and family than anything," Albus argued. "Or at least for established Wizarding families."

She snorted. "Well maybe I want to be different. You're not the only one who can be unique, you know."

"No," said Albus quickly, "I didn't mean it like that. I just didn't want you to feel as though you have to go to a different House because I am."

Her gaze softened, and she smiled. "I wouldn't do that. We can go wherever we want. We'll still be happy, right?"

"Y-yeah." His voice faltered as he thought about it, but he quickly recovered. "I think we can try at least."

Ron broke in, tactlessly interrupting their conversation.

"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you, Rosie. But no pressure."

"Ron!"

"Just kidding guys. But seriously, don't go to Slytherin."

When Hermione didn't respond this time, he turned and saw what everyone else was already looking at.

"He hasn't changed at all," Harry whispered softly to Ron.

"Well what do you expect," Ron scoffed. "Once a slimy pureblood, always a slimy pureblood."

"Oh I'm sure he's not that bad now," Hermione quickly put in, for the kids benefit.

Albus turned to Rose and rolled his eyes. She grinned back. It was yet another attempt to reassure them that Slytherins weren't awful.

The father of the family looked stern, in a tight black collared suit, while the mother seemed to have come out of a nineteenth century novel. Gloves, hat, and dress that were immaculate, so white they probably were sullied by being in the very prescreen of commoners.

The son, who Albus presumed was in his year, seemed to be wishing he was anywhere else. The mom reached down and tousled his hair, and the boy's pale face turned a beet red.

"So that's little Scorpius," Ron said quietly. "Looks a spitting image of his father. Make sure you beat him on every test, Rosie."

"Ron," Hermione began, stern, "don't turn them against each other before they're even in school."

Albus glanced at Rose. She was looking at the boy intently, but at her father's comment glared up at him.

Ron, more amused than anything by the glare and unable to help himself, continued, "And don't get too friendly with him, Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood."

Now Rose blushed, but everyone was too distracted by James' sudden return to notice. Albus knew Ron had just ensured Rose would befriend Scorpius the first chance she got. No one told _Rose Weasley_ what to do.

Albus turned back to the rest of the family. James was jumping up and down, bursting with excitement.

"Know what I just saw?" he asked breathlessly. "Teddy. Teddy Lupin. Snogging Victoire. Our cousin Victoire."

None of the adults commented, just stared down at James, wry grins emerging on Ron and Ginny's faces.

"Why don't you care?" James whined. "This is important."

"Yeah, but it was also so freaking obvious," Lily said under her breath.

James deflated and Harry put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Ginny turned to Lily, hands on hips.

"What did you just say, missy?"

Lily blanched. Reputation at risk, she blamed the person closest to her.

"I didn't say anything, it was Hugo."

Ginny glared at Hugo, but truly, the topic was settled at that. Hermione turned a blind eye towards cursing, saying that freedom to make mistakes brought out the best in children. Her own children were so well behaved that her lack of regulation didn't matter, but Albus thanked his lucky stars Lily wasn't Hermione's daughter. Lily being able to act without the fear of punishment was a frightening thought indeed.

The train whistle sounded, and a puff of steam burst out of the smokestack. Students started boarding, wishing good-byes to tearful parents. Ron and Ginny offered to load the three trunks, and after wishing quick farewells, took the younger kids with them to the luggage compartment.

Suddenly it was just Harry, Hermione, Albus, Rose, and James.

James was the first to leave. He gave Hermione and Harry quick hugs, then jumped on the train, off to find his fellow mischief-makers.

And then there were four. Albus looked to Rose, mentally pleading with her, and she somehow got the message. She dragged Hermione away, leaving Albus alone with his dad.

"What if I'm in Slytherin?" Albus asked tentatively, partially afraid of the answer.

Harry crouched down so that his face was at the level of Albus' own. His forced composure didn't completely hide the worry and empathy he felt for his son. Albus looked into those eyes, a mirror image of his own.

"Albus Severus," Harry said quietly, "you are named for two of the bravest men I ever knew, and one of them was a Slytherin."

That wasn't reassuring. Perhaps seeing how Albus' face fell, Harry continued.

"The Sorting Hat takes the student's opinion into account. You can choose Gryffindor, or Ravenclaw, or even Hufflepuff over Slytherin if you really want to."

"Really?" Albus asked, shocked.

"It did for me. Now that may be because I'm Harry Potter," and at this he let out a wry chuckle, "but I think it's more likely it does that for everyone. Also, you don't have to talk aloud, it talks to you in your head."

"Thanks dad," Albus whispered, wrapping his arms around Harry. Tears threatened to fall, but he held them back.

Harry embraced him for a few seconds, then stood up and smiled at Albus.

"Now go get on that train. You'll do great!"

Albus walked to a door, one of the last students aboard, and stepped into his new life.

* * *

Albus took a few unsteady steps as the train started moving before finding his balance. The wood side paneling blanketed the walls as he made his way towards the rear of the train. He had no idea where Rose was, but with only two directions to choose from it didn't matter much which way he went first.

He glanced into cabins as he walked. Most of the occupants were too caught up in their conversations to notice, which he was thankful for, but the ones that were still settling in stared blatantly at him. He'd expected something like this, but that did little to negate the shock of it actually happening.

Albus still hadn't found Rose when a boy with dark hair eagerly opened the door he'd just passed.

"Do you want to sit with us?" The boy then paused for a second, and asked more warily, "You are Albus Potter, aren't you?"

Albus froze for a second, heart-rate still accelerated from the boy's sudden appearance.

"N-no, I'm looking for Rose, my cousin. She has red hair."

"Oh." The anonymous boy looked disappointed. "Well I think I saw her go by earlier. See you around?"

"Yeah," Albus said. There was no other appropriate response, as much as he wished the boy would vanish forever.

He continued on down the train, getting a few more offers of seats, including a group of pretty girls that he had a hard time saying no to, but he still didn't find Rose. He did see Scorpius in one of the cabins, leaning against the window, already isolated from the rest of his peers. Albus felt bad for a moment, but quickly tossed the feeling aside. For all Albus knew, the only reason no one as talking to him was because they were all Gryffindors.

As he looked in the second to last set of windows he finally saw Rose, and let out a sigh of relief. She was alone, looking harried. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, and she jumped up and dragged him inside, locking the door as he entered.

"Thank God you're here!" she exclaimed. "People keep asking to sit with me."

"I'd have thought you'd like that," he said with a laugh, grateful to be back in his comfort zone

"Well normally I would," she said, fidgeting with her hair. "But I wanted to save a seat for you, and if I let one person in, I'd have had to let them all in. There've been like ten people, and I know I saw at least five of them already sitting down in cabins when I walked here, so I know they had a place to sit. I didn't see your brother and Fred or Molly or Dominique or Roxanne, so they must be in the front of the train. I felt bad saying no to everyone, but it was awful, and none of them really care about us, just our parents."

She looked so frazzled that he gave her hand a brief squeeze, trying to impart some measure of comfort through the contact.

"Thanks," she sighed, sitting back down on one side of the cabin.

Albus' trunk appeared under his with a faint _pop_ when he sat down on the seat at the other. The Hogwarts Express magically made luggage appear in the cabin of the student it belonged to, to expedite the loading and unloading process.

After they'd settled in and calmed down a little, Rose took out her wand, a curious look in her eyes.

Seeing Albus' glance, Rose explained, "Now that we're on Hogwarts property, we can actually practice magic."

Albus didn't want to put a damper on her enthusiasm, but felt the need to point out that they could at home too.

"Just because we technically weren't supposed to doesn't mean no one did. You really think James and Fred didn't wave their wands at everything the moment they got them?"

"Well yeah," huffed Rose, "but I'd think some people would have respect for the law."

"Okay, whatever you say." Albus smirked. "I think you're just upset your mom kept you wand locked away until today, and now you'll be behind everyone."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I'll have you know, I'm pretty good at school."

He shrugged and rolled his eyes. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

A knock on the door startled them out of their conversation, and Rose stowed her wand hastily. A multitude of faces hastened to move out of sight when Albus turned his head towards the door, leaving only boy in sight.

Having successfully gotten their attention, the lone tall boy opened the door and held out his hand.

"I'm Gerard Collums, Slytherin Prefect. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

He paused, as if waiting for them to say something.

Rose took the lead, and introduced herself.

"I'm Rose Weasley, First Year. Nice to meet you too."

Albus suddenly felt as if a spotlight was on him; the older Slytherin was intimidating.

"Uhh, I'm Albus. Potter, I mean."

Satisfied with their responses, Gerard resumed speaking.

"It's an honor to meet people from such distinguished patronage as yourselves. I've never had the pleasure of meeting a member of the Potter or Weasley clans before. Suffice to say, I like what I see so far. You both would fit right in in Slytherin."

Albus flushed at that, scooted slightly farther away from the door.

"But whatever House you'll be in, I'm sure you'll do fine. Good luck with your Sortings. Now…" he looked to his right, where the other people had disappeared to before he'd opened the door. "I have some people I want you to meet."

And so began an exhausting procession of people, in their first through third years, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Albus began to feel less nervous, at least with talking, since they were so afraid too.

At the end, Gerard shooed the other children away again and said, "I hope you can befriend some of these people, as they would all be assets to you in your upcoming years. For now, farewell."

And with a swish of his robe, for he was already changed into Hogwarts clothes, he was gone.

Albus and Rose sat in silence, neither knowing what to say.

Finally, Rose burst out in laughter.

"People actually talk like that?"

Albus laughed too, but it felt a little strained. Gerard's comments about Slytherin and his strange mannerisms unsettled Albus even more than he already was, something he would not have thought possible a few minutes ago.

After they'd calmed down a little, Rose said intently, "We need to get people in here and a conversation started. Then maybe everyone will stop bothering us."

"Okay," agreed Albus.

"We need a way to choose who though. It would be incredibly depressing if all they wanted to talk about was our parents." She paused for a moment, thinking. "What if we just get the first three people who don't seem too eager? If they actually need a place to sit then they'll be more likely to talk about random things, and not our family."

Something in her weird reasoning actually made sense, but mostly he trusted her to have good ideas.

"Okay, let's do that," he said.

"So I'll just do this—" she scratched her left ear, "if I do want them, and this—" she scratched her right, "if I don't. Okay?"

"Why do I have make the final decision?" protested Albus.

"'Because," said Rose, as if speaking to a young child, "I'm better at reading people, so I give the signal. Then you add your input and make the final choice."

Albus crossed his arms, frowning. Rose could be incredibly callous at times. Thankfully he was used to it by now, so he took a second to think about whether what she said actually made sense.

While he was thinking, Rose reached across over and laid a hand on his leg. "Albus, sorry. I didn't mean for that to come out so harshly."

That brought a smile back to his face. He didn't know anyone else their age who would be so quick to apologize after making a mistake.

"It's okay. I think your plan's good."

She smiled back at him, and sat back in her seat.

And then their planning all was for naught, because of one insufferable, yet awesome boy.


	4. New Friends and a New House

AN: Well here's a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Next update should be within two weeks.

* * *

The door to their cabin was thrust open after a single knock.

Standing in the doorway were two boys and a girl.

One of them was clearly the leader. He stood a few feet in front of the others, a determined look on his face. The other two people seemed to be wishing they'd meld into the train itself and disappear, while the leader stood tall, hands on hips. It was, of course, Scorpius Malfoy.

"We're going to sit in here, if you don't mind," said Scorpius, stepping in to the cabin.

Albus looked to Rose, flummoxed, and wasn't reassured by her dumbstruck stare.

While he sat there mute, she managed to recover some use of her faculties.

"Uh yeah, you guys can sit here I guess," said Rose, beckoning towards the empty seats in the cabin.

Scorpius took a seat next to Albus and Albus scooted away from him, causing the blond boy to frown in distaste. Moving was somewhat rude, Albus supposed, but it was also rude for them to invite themselves into the clearly occupied train cabin.

The other two people sat down on Rose's side of the cabin, relief evident. The boy had short brown hair, and was wearing a Quidditch team's shirt. The girl had the brightest green eyes Albus had ever seen. The smile that appeared on her face when Rose welcomed them into the cabin was beautiful. Albus wanted to be friends with her immediately.

When everyone in their place, silence set in again. Albus didn't want to make the first move and talk. In these types of situations he normally defected to Rose's judgment, but she was staring intently at Scorpius, examining him. For his part, Scorpius wasn't doing much to defuse the tension either. He had himself propped in the corner, slouching languidly, staring back at Rose just as critically as she looked at him.

After thirty seconds, the oppressive atmosphere turned from awkward to unbearable. Albus wanted to move but felt frozen in place, so he settled for looking around. The boy on Rose's side of the aisle had his eyes focused down in his lap, but the girl met Albus' gaze when he turned to look at her. Albus felt his lips creeping up into a smile despite the situation.

The girl's dirty blond hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and her lips quirked up as she looked back at Albus. He briefly glanced at Rose and Scorpius, but they were focused on each other, oblivious to the world. When he turned back to the other girl her smile broadened and she let out a small laugh, which Albus joined a second later. The situation was just so ridiculous.

The noise startled Rose and Scorpius out of their staring contest, and they both jerked upright.

Rose's face flushed the color of her hair while Scorpius smoothed his robes and hair self-consciously.

"Well, it looks like your dad's not going to be too happy," Albus said wryly, almost surprising himself. The opportunity just seemed so ripe.

Rose turned even redder before recovering her composure.

"Ha!" she said with venom. "Me and him? Yeah right. If you don't remember, he invaded our cabin with his two tag-alongs. I don't particularly like him at the moment, much less, well, anything else."

Albus smirked. "That's not what it looked like before," he said.

"Now really Potter," Scorpius imposed himself, coming to Rose's defense, "do you really think that there was actually some kind of connection between us, or are you just jealous that someone else has managed to get your cousin's attention for once?"

Albus felt the heat rush to his face. He scrambled for something to say, but nothing came to mind quickly enough.

Now it was Rose's turn to protect Albus. "Oh cut it, Malfoy. You don't need to be so mean."

"Me?" he said, sounding shocked. "I just came in here to find a place to sit, but I don't feel too welcome now. Maybe I'm intruding on something I shouldn't. Kissing cousins who want their own cabin, perhaps?"

Albus face burned and he stared at the ceiling.

"Really, that's the best you can come up with? I wouldn't care if you had just asked, but to just barge in here? It's like you were raised by, oh, I don't know, your father?" Rose retorted.

Malfoy scowled, the first hint of real emotion from him. "You don't know my dad. Some people actually invite others in, instead of sitting there like baboons. Then again, Weasleys have never been known for their manners, have they? I hear your dad eats like a pig."

"Scorpius!" the girl who'd entered with him interjected. "Stop being such a jerk. You brought us here because you wanted to make friends, right?"

Scorpius opened his mouth as if to say something, but then shut it again, perhaps deciding that discretion was the better part of valor. He settled instead for glaring at Rose, who returned the look, except with the nastiness factor multiplied by two.

Albus looked gratefully at the girl who'd spoken, and she smiled back at him.

Rose looked between them, then stuck out her hand to the girl.

"I'm Rose Weasley, nice to meet you. Sorry I didn't introduce myself before," she said apologetically, tone much calmer than before.

"It's okay. I'm Cecelia Soren," the girl introduced herself, "Nice to meet you too."

Rose then turned to the boy, who jumped when he saw her looking at him.

"Uh, I-I'm Matthew," he said shyly.

Everyone, with the exception of Scorpius, then turned towards Albus.

"I'm Albus Potter," he announced, trying inject confidence into his voice.

"We all know that, silly," Cecelia said. "You look exactly like your dad."

"Well what do you want me to say? I like Quidditch, and I'm sort of afraid of being Sorted into Slytherin."

It felt good to finally admit that to someone besides Rose. Somehow, the fact that these people were practically strangers made it easier to bring up with them.

Matthew perked at Albus' mention of the Sorting.

"I'm afraid too," Matthew said, sounding incredibly relieved. "I don't know what to do. My whole family's been in Hufflepuff, but I don't want to be. They're, well, boring."

Albus grimaced in sympathy, but it was Rose who spoke.

"It'll be okay, Matthew," she said soothingly. "I'm sure your parents will be supportive whatever you do. You'll be fine, and besides, now you have us as friends."

Matthew smiled at her, but it looked forced.

Cecelia intervened. "Matthew, do you want to be in Ravenclaw?"

Rose looked at Cecelia curiously, and Albus even wondered to himself why she'd picked that house.

"Yeah, I think so," he answered.

"Well Rose—" Cecelia turned towards the other girl, "—thought the stuff in the Defense textbook on the ethics of the Unforgivable curses was interesting. What did you think?"

At that, Cecelia got up from her spot on the bench so that Rose and Matthew could have an unimpeded view of each other. Though they both knew they'd been set up, they were still soon locked in an animated discussion about torture and mind control. _Typical Ravenclaws_, Albus thought to himself.

Albus cupped his hand around her ear and whispered to Cecelia, "How did you know what they'd like to talk about?"

"Oh." She laughed quietly. "Matthew's shy, so he probably doesn't want to be in Slytherin or Gryffindor, so that left Ravenclaw. Then I saw something in the newspaper a few days ago about banning Auror use of Unforgivables, and took a guess that the Defense textbook said something about them and their use. Anyone who wants to be sorted into Ravenclaw is going to be interested in that kind of stuff."

"Wow," Albus said, amazed, "that's pretty cool that you thought of that."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Come on, that wasn't that amazing. She just extrapolated based on unfounded assumptions."

Before Albus could respond, Cecelia shrugged and said, "Big words don't make you sound any smarter, Scorpius. And it doesn't matter anyway, it worked. The end result is what matters. Now what do you guys have in common?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing," Scorpius said scornfully. "Me have something in common with Potter? Yeah right."

"Oh, I'm sure we can find something. Do you like Quidditch?"

"Hmph," Scorpius grumbled.

"What about you, Albus?" asked Cecelia, turning towards him.

"Yeah. We're fans of the Harpies, cause of my mom. She used to play for them," explained Albus, feeling slightly uncomfortable mentioning Ginny's former Quidditch career.

Scorpius snorted, but didn't deign to join the conversation as Cecelia sent him a glare.

"So what do you think about the Wimbourne Wasps, then? I don't remember what the score was the last time they played Hollyhead, do you?"

Albus looked at her strangely. Why bring up the Wasps? They were always mediocre.

"The score was Harpies – 450, Wasps – 210, and the Harpies caught the Snitch. The Wasps are pretty bad. Trading Jeremiah Flenchley was an awful move; they haven't caught a Snitch in eight games, and—"

Scorpius cut in. "You know it's all the new manager's fault, right? They were actually good before that. All he's done is get rid of good players and pay too much for the bad ones. The only good thing about the Harpies is that all the girls are hot."

"No, they're actually a good team," Albus responded heatedly, "unlike the Wasps. Like they have some actual skill."

And so they were off. The topic eventually shifted from Quidditch to more relevant topics, and Scorpius even managed to convince Albus that Slytherin wasn't entirely full of 'pretentious wankers', as Scorpius termed them. Even though Scorpius probably fell into that category himself.

Too late, Albus realized he'd been hoodwinked by Cecelia into having a conversation, just like Matthew and Rose had.

Eventually Scorpius got up to go to the bathroom.

While he was gone, Albus asked Cecelia curiously, "How did you know that Scorpius liked the Wasps and that'd get him to talk?"

"Oh, it's funny actually," she explained. "My mom works for the DMLE and mentioned where the Malfoys live a few times. So then I just figured out what Quidditch team was closest. An educated guess really, that he'd be a fan. Then what's the easiest way to get a fan to talk? Insult their team, of course."

Albus stared, dumbfounded. He'd never think of that in a million years. Not that he particularly wanted to either; it would be too strange to have your mind work like that, being able to think up all the different ways to manipulate people.

Scorpius returned, and looked back and forth between Albus and Cecelia, questioning. They both shrugged, Albus barely managing to quell his smile at the shared secret.

They resumed their conversation, and Matthew and Rose joined in after a few more minutes. This was definitely not the group of people Albus had been expecting to be talking to when he anticipated coming to Hogwarts, but he enjoyed himself nonetheless. More importantly, he wasn't quite as afraid for the Sorting anymore.

* * *

The glistening deep blue of the lake stretched ahead of them, dotted here and there with whitecaps. The wind whistled through their robes and the First Years clustered together for warmth as Hagrid led them towards the boats. The half-giant walked with a confident stride, though he was getting on in years. Albus remembered the invitation to Hagrid's hut for tea and grimaced. He could recall vividly the horror stories his parents told about Hagrid's rock cakes.

As they made their way down to the water edge, Hogwarts came into full view. Stone turrets sprouted upwards incongruously, with the dark mass of the castle frequently punctuated by pinpricks of light, torches shining through the multitude of windows. The illuminated castle was reflected onto the lake, creating a picturesque scene both above and below the horizon. Rose gasped as she saw the majesty spread out before her, the images she'd seen previously in books incomparable to the grandeur now before them.

"It's so marvelous," she said in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, it is," Albus whispered back.

Their hands met each other without prompting by either, and he turned to see her beaming at him. This would be their home for the next seven years, through thick and thin, conflict and peace, joy and sorrow. At the moment, he couldn't think of anywhere else he'd rather be.

"Not more than four to a boat," Hagrid boomed as he perilously got into one, barely managing to prevent it from capsizing.

Albus, still clutching tight to Rose's hand, looked around for Scorpius, Cecelia, and Matthew. Rose dragged him into the closest boat before he could spot any of them.

He was about to protest, but she said sensibly, "We're all going to the same spot. If nothing else, we'll see them get Sorted. Their names are pretty close to ours too, so they'll be near us in line."

Two other people got in their boat as well, and they were off. Though the wooden vessel moved on its own, it didn't stay very stable, especially on the windblown lake. They were tossed up and down by the waves, somehow managing to stay upright and all aboard. Albus kept his eyes focused on the bottom of the boat, but did put a hand each side to try to balance it out a bit more. The lake was a dark blue, seemingly bottomless. As the bow plunged through the swells, water sprayed up and drenched the party onboard. Albus gritted his teeth to keep from shivering, but did wrap his arms around Rose. A little chivalry never hurt, he supposed, and it wasn't like he could get any wetter.

Prompted by Hagrid's call, it was with no small amount of relief that Albus finally stood up and stepped off the boat as it bumped against the shore. Their two companions on the boat hurried away as soon as they were on shore. Albus never learned their names.

The fifty or so students walked, shoulders hunched over, up the stairs and into the entrance hall. There was a marked difference in air temperature here, and Albus' robes were soon at least partially dry. The students stopped behind Hagrid outside the huge wooden doors to the Great Hall.

"So now we're just waiting for the Deputy Headmaster," Hagrid said. He then sat down on the top step, causing a vibration in the floor that made Albus jump.

Seeing this, Hagrid stood back up again. "Heh, sometimes I forget me own weight. You're all right though? The ride wasn't too harsh, was it?"

"No, it was fine Professor," replied Albus, not wanting to offend Hagrid.

"Oh, no need for formalities like that, your parents saved my hide more than once," Hagrid said, patting Albus on the back and almost knocking him over.

By this time most everyone had their eyes on Albus, and he shifted in place uncomfortably, unable to move too far because of Hagrid's giant hand on his shoulder.

Before the attention got to be too much, a man appeared from around the corner in a swish of robes. Everyone immediately turned to face him.

"I'll take them from here, Hagrid," the new arrival said authoritatively. Hagrid bowed and scurried out of sight, a look of fear on his face.

"I'm Nigellus Newton, the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as well as the Professor of the History and Theory of Magic. My formal address is Professor Newton. Though," he said, leaning in conspiratorially, "you can call me John when no one else is around.

"Now," he began briskly, "I'm sure you've all heard of the four Houses of Hogwarts. Some of you may have learned of them from your parents, while others only got introduced to them by new friends or acquaintances made on the Hogwarts Express. The important thing to keep in mind is that none of the Houses is any better than the others. You will see close to the same amount of students at each table, and each House contains a very diverse and unique student body.

"The Houses were named after the four founders of Hogwarts, all marvelous and extraordinary wizards and witches in their own right. But, and here's the important thing: they were much more together than separate. Let that be a lesson to you all as you begin your journey through Hogwarts. We must unite the different characteristics of the Houses to be truly great.

"Those characteristics are as follows: Gryffindors are brave and courageous, but foolhardy; Slytherins are sneaky and cunning, but overconfident; Hufflepuffs are steadfast and loyal, but blindly so; and Ravenclaws are intelligent and curious, but dangerously obsessive.

"Keep in mind that these descriptions don't apply to all members of a House, but simply the vast majority. Remember also that the Houses mold you as much as their traits apply to you, so though you may not feel that you belong in a House to begin with, by the end of your time there you will fit right in. Now, if you'll follow me…"

The First Years walked after Professor Newton, or John if you took him at his word, into the Great Hall. After a few seconds of stunned silence a rash of whispers broke out among their group.

Albus turned to Rose and wasn't surprised to see her frowning.

"What's wrong?" he asked anyway.

She huffed, exasperated. "The Professor is completely wrong about the Houses. He just spat out a jumbled mess that sounds good until you actually think about it. At first he made it sound like we have to be friends with all the Houses, which is a good thing, but then he made it sound like the Houses are there to shape us into a singular personality trait. The Houses are our homes, they're our adopted families. They're not these weird bodies of manipulation or whatever he was getting at."

"You know, I actually agree with you," Scorpius said, sounding surprised at himself.

Albus spun around. "Where'd you come from?"

"Oh, you know. Here and there…" Scorpius said, smirking. Albus frowned, unimpressed at his non-response. "Oh okay," Scorpius relented, "my cousins wanted to see me. My mom's Astoria and her sister is Daphne and she has twins in our year. I always have to put up with the brats when our families get together."

"They can't be that bad, can they?" Rose asked doubtfully.

"Just wait until you meet them. I bet at least one of them will be in Ravenclaw. They're such nerds. They—"

Scorpius' disparaging comments were cut off by the shrill screech of the Sorting Hat.

"Oh I'm the Sorting Hat and I'm okay; I sleep all year and work one day!"

And then began the most exuberant song, full of platitudes and self-aggrandizement, yet containing such a profound moral that it would be repeated the world over if it did not unfortunately vanish from the audience's mind the second it was finished.

As Professor Newton called the first name, and a small girl timidly made her way up to the stool upon which the Sorting Hat was perched, the queasiness returned to Albus' stomach in full force. He almost doubled over in pain as the same tired arguments ran circles through his mind.

Everyone would be ashamed when he went to Slytherin.

James would tease him even more, but now the teasing would actually have venom behind it.

His parents might pretend not to be disappointed, but in reality they'd now be a little more cautious around him, afraid of what he'd become.

The worst thought was how cutthroat and vicious he'd heard the house of snakes was. Albus wasn't a mean person. In fact, he thought of himself of pretty nice. The Slytherins, in addition to being ruthless, might have years of scheming practice under their belts. Albus would be behind from day one, and his surname would make him a target. The talk with Scorpius on the train had reassured Albus that the Slytherins weren't awful people to be around on a daily basis. It didn't ally him of his fears that being in Slytherin would be a never-ending game of politicking and backstabbing.

The names came and went with an alarming rapidity. All too soon, though at least ten minutes must have elapsed, Scorpius Malfoy's name was called. The crowd parted to let the boy through. As a silence fell on the House tables, Scorpius marched to the front of the room with his head held high. It wasn't until now that Albus realized how much of a pariah Scorpius was. Of course he knew that Malfoy's dad was somehow involved in the war, but this hostile treatment must have been just as bad as the constant respect and adoration the Potters got. No one was actively booing or verbally expressing their displeasure, but the widespread glares were sickening to look at.

Scorpius picked up the hat gently and placed it on his head, as the High Table looked down on him. Even some of the professors couldn't keep their emotions off their face. He heard Rose make a disgusted noise next to him and assumed she saw the same thing. However much she disliked him as a person, she stuck strong to the principles of non-discrimination instilled in her by her mother.

The one professor not looking at the boy with disgust or a carefully composed mask of neutrality was Professor Newton, who gazed down at Scorpius like a lion eyes a young gazelle. That was just as strange as the other professors' looks, and Albus made a mental note to think more about it later.

The hat made a variety of noises as it thought, and Scorpius' face screwed tightly up in concentration. Albus' slightly educated guess was that the hat was trying to get Scorpius to go somewhere else, but he wanted to go to Slytherin. On the train ride Scorpius seemed to be constantly fixated on the ambition side of Slytherin, telling stories about famous Slytherin Ministers of Magic and government employees. Maybe a desire to redeem his family or something.

After a minute or so passed, the hat did indeed call out "Slytherin!" and Scorpius joined that table to muted applause.

Albus steeled himself, ready to walk forward, but Matthew was surprisingly called next. They'd never learned the shy boy's last name on the train.

With him, the hat deliberated for a much shorter period of time.

"Ravenclaw!" it shouted, and before Albus could finish watching the shy boy's welcome at his new table Professor Newton announced, "Albus Potter."

The murmurs were almost unbearable as Albus made his way up to the stool in the front of the room, taking care to not trip over the front of his robe. He took the steps one at a time, eyes focused solely on the hat. If he looked anywhere else he'd be too afraid to keep moving.

The hat was soft, with little firm structure. The fabric was soothing to the touch, and had a rough, well-worn feel to it. Albus picked it up carefully, not wanting it to fall over. He sat down on the stool and looked out over the hundreds of people watching him intently. The second he spotted Rose, he shut his eyes and jammed the hat down on his head. With her, it'd all be okay.

'Well, another Potter, eh?' the Sorting Hat began, amused. 'You know I've Sorted over a hundred of your family?'

Albus had no idea there'd been that many Potters, but given that Hogwarts was the best Wizarding school in Britain, it made some sense that his ancestors would have gone there as well.

'Ah, some logic present in you, and no small measure of intelligence. Now, what would you say if I told you the next Dark Lord was standing in this room?'

Albus' eyes immediately shot open, and he felt a jolt of fear. His thoughts quickly turned, not to the students, but to the professors behind him. He was about to turn his head when he realized how unusual that would be. Anyway, from what his parents told him of their first year, sinister looks could be deceiving.

'Hmm, well you're smart, smart enough to be afraid, and quick thinking in that you don't want to raise suspicions about your knowledge. That was a lie by the way, about the Dark Lord. I can't predict the future. Now, if I told you that you were to join Scorpius in Slytherin, how would you feel?'

Instead of fear or apprehension, like before, or even excitement, the major emotion Albus felt was resignation. Relief that it was all over. And maybe, just maybe, the tiniest hint that he'd prove himself and make his family proud to have a Slytherin.

'Well, that's not the worst feeling in the world to have, is it? And you don't fight it either. Good, good. You'll do great things in Slytherin. Of course, that's the same thing I told your father. Now, this isn't always true, mind you, but when faced with a decision made by someone smarter than yourself, sometimes the bravest thing to follow their suggestion blindly. In a way, Albus, you are braver than your father. But, it will still be "Slytherin!" for you.'

Albus opened his eyes again to see three-quarters of the assembled students sitting dumbfounded, silent. After a second where the entire hall was frozen, the table farthest to Albus' right burst into raucous cheers. Albus placed the hat back on the stool and stood up with a smile. It was over! He'd made it through. There was no going back now, but that was a good thing. Only one way forward.

As he made his way down the steps, he looked to the few remaining First Years unsorted. He caught Rose's eye, and they shared a smile. Not one of melancholy, but one of hope, of new beginnings. No matter what, they'd be together.

He made his way over to the Slytherin table, and the first real smile he'd seen appeared on Scorpius' face when he sat down next to him.

"Thanks," Scorpius whispered quietly, then clapped Albus on the back and started introducing him to the rest of the First Years in Slytherin.

Cecelia Soren joined them a few minutes later, while Rose joined Matthew in Ravenclaw. Albus clapped for her, even though no one else at the Slytherin table did. Sometimes it was good not to conform completely.

With the Sorting complete, a vast array of food instantly appeared on the tables. After a second of shock, Albus dug in with a gusto he didn't know he possessed. The nerves had mostly fled his stomach, leaving an empty cavern ready to be filled with good food and new friends. As the meal elapsed, Albus readied himself for his first official introduction to Slytherin, where no Potter had (legally) gone before: the Slytherin common rooms.


End file.
